The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THE Government has donated 30 tonnes of maize meal to the Victoria Falls Taskforce on Covid-19 as it commended the team’s feeding programme for families affected by the disease as a model that should be replicated countrywide.
Besides furnishing the two isolation centres in Victoria Falls among other Covid-19 projects, the taskforce started a children’s feeding programme on 14 July which has seen more than 5 000 meals being served each day excluding weekends. Close to 200 000 meals have been served to date. Meals comprise isitshwala and rice with soya mince, beans and coleslaw, as well as nutritional porridge for deserving cases for a balanced diet.
A steering organ led by Pastors Stanfordias Ndlovu and Cozmore Fungulani, as well as Mr Russell Manenji, Ms Christie Brookstein, Ms Daniele Connolly and Mrs Gail Van Jaarsveldt spearhead the programme. Speaking during the handover of the mealie-meal recently, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima said the Victoria Falls model should be replicated across the country.
“People got laid off work because of Covid-19 and the taskforce stepped in to provide feeding in addition to preparing isolation centres. Now 5 000 kids are fed on a daily basis. They have started community gardens and reusable sanitary pads projects and extended a food for work programme where people get a 10 kilogramme bag of mealie-meal after working. They started the programme on their own and we have arranged mealie-meal from Silo for them.”
The taskforce started a community garden in Ntabayengwe outside Victoria Falls where more than 40 households are benefiting. The minister said similar programmes had been started elsewhere countrywide but many faced challenges because they did not follow health and local authorities regulations.
Pastor Fungulani said the donation will go a long way in feeding children.
“We thank you for the donation as this makes our job easier. There is hope in our town through your support,” he said. — @ncubeleon
